Taliban insurgents have stepped up their attacks recently since announcing the start of their spring offensive last week.

President Ashraf Ghani issued a statement condemning the attack, and said it "clearly shows the enemy's defeat in face-to-face battle with Afghan security forces".

The attack in Kabul comes four days after another attack by Taliban insurgents in northern Kunduz province which was repelled by Afghan security forces.

Officials in Kunduz said that security has improved in the city and that the Taliban were defeated in other parts of the province, but operations were still under way to clear militant fighters from the rest of the province.

The Taliban held Kunduz for three days last year before being driven out by a two-week counter-offensive aided by US air strikes. It was its biggest foray into an urban area since 2001.